I like mine dark. Chocolate. Meat. Um, other stuff that’s dark that I can’t think of right now. You get my drift. And these truffles are just that, dark. Mr. Bundt, a lover of coffee, the stronger the better, loves dark chocolate too. I know he’ll love these truffles. Maybe your sweetie would like some too?

Don’t be alarmed by the espresso, it’s hardly any at all. In fact, if I were to make these again I would at least double the espresso. But, if you’re not a coffee fan, leave it out. No big deal.

Remember that candy truffles are supposed to be like the truffles pigs find in the woods. Yeah, for real. So they should look rustic. You don’t work for the Lindt factory. Perfection is in the taste. And on that note, use the best quality chocolate you can find. Cause that’s all you’re going to taste, it’s not going to be camouflaged by eggs, butter, and sugar.

Gather your ingredients and chop your chocolate. I found that breaking up the chocolate in the wrappers was the easiest way to go. The heat from your hands doesn’t melt it and it doesn’t go all over the place. If you need to chop it a little more once it’s unwrapped, by all means, go for it.

In a medium saucepan, heat the cream and espresso powder over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the mixture bubbles around the edges (2-3 minutes) remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate.

Stir the chopped chocolate into the warm cream mixture. Let the heat of the cream do the work for you. Don’t get all crazy nuts in there beating and splashing around. It’ll melt, just give it a minute.

Once the mixture starts to come together, blend it thoroughly. You can see how pretty and shiny it becomes. Glossy!

So, you may have noticed the grody bandaid on my left thumb. I sliced off a part of my thumb and fingernail earlier in the week slicing onions. Whoops! Here’s my free tip of the day: don’t do that. It hurts like a mother and bleeds like a stuck pig.

Pour the mixture into a container, a shallow bowl or a plastic container, and cover. Refrigerate for at least four hours.

To form the truffles I used a small ice cream scoop, you can use a melon baller, or teaspoons.

Prepare a cookie sheet with some Cut-rite or parchment or a Silpat. You may want to let your chocolate mixture sit out at room temperature a few minutes so it’s easier to scoop. Have a cup of coffee, check Facebook, go to the bus stop, whatever.

The recipe says it makes 48 truffles. I made 24. Maybe they’re a little big.

Back to the fridge for another 15 minutes or so, until they’ve set back up. Have another cup of coffee, check your email, you get where I’m going.

Using your hands or a spoon, roll the truffles in the cocoa powder. If they’re too rustic for you now is a good time to use your hands to gently shape them up a bit. Place the truffles in little candy cups or small muffin tins, or in an airtight container. Store in the fridge, serve at room temperature.

They’re so cute! So perfect! So tasty! Just the perfect gift for your sweetie. Or your book club friends. Or you can eat them all yourself. I won’t tell.